Polyolefins are plastic materials useful for making a wide variety of valued products due to their combination of stiffness, ductility, barrier properties, temperature resistance, optical properties, availability, and low cost. One of the most valued products is plastic films. In particular, PE is the one of the largest volume polymers consumed in the world. It is a versatile polymer that offers high performance relative to other polymers and alternative materials such as glass, metal or paper. Plastic films such as PE films are mostly used in packaging applications but they also find utility in the agricultural, medical, and engineering fields.
PE films are manufactured in a variety of grades that are usually differentiated by the polymer density such that PE films can be designated for example, low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), and high density polyethylene (HDPE), wherein each density range has a unique combination of properties making it suitable for a particular application.
Despite the many positive attributes of PE, the film product remains permeable to gases such as oxygen or carbon dioxide and/or moisture (e.g., water). Thus, it would be desirable to develop a PE film product exhibiting improved barrier properties.